Facebook to introduce Harry Potter-style moving profile photos

The new technology allows users to upgrade their dull static profile pics to something more lively

Published:06:00Sunday 17 April 2016

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Facebook users around the world can now add a literally all-singing and dancing extra layer of personalisation to their profile with the social network’s introduction of moving profile pictures.

With almost 30 million profile image updates every day, the internet giant says it is opening up the site to even more creativity with its Profile Expression Kit for developers.

A step forward from previous profile video experiments, the kit means that users can create .gif-like videos in a third-party app and then share them on Facebook in place of their boring old static profile.

Behind the technical jargon this essentially means your profile picture can move around like the enchanted photographs in the Harry Potter world - albeit on a fairly short loop.

In a statement, Facebook said: “Last September, we launched profile videos to give people a new way to bring their profiles to life.

“We were blown away by the positive response of profile videos and the variety of creative ways people used them to show off their personality.

“Today, we’re further unlocking this creativity and lowering the barrier to expression by releasing the Facebook Profile Expression Kit.”

The kit is currently available to a selection of iOS app developers including MSQRD, Boomerang from Instagram, lollicam, BeautyPlus, Cinemagraph Pro from Flixel and Vine.

This means Facebook users with Apple devices can use any of these apps to create and upload their own ever-changing profile image.